Garden

In this issue, our “Cool People, Cool House” feature tours a family of six’s home. In addition to finding creative ways to accommodate their kids needs in a small space, they find room for creating art, growing their own vegetables, and displaying the work of both parents (a photographer and an artist). The space is bright and cheery, with lots of color, life and love.

Inspired the vibrancy of their home, we threw a summery family style dinner, complete with stepped-up favorites like potato salad and homemade ice cream.

We also show you how to start your own raised bed gardens, complete with a DIY garden stake to mark all your crops!

Here’s a sneak peek into Prairie Hive Magazine’s Summer Issue, out next Monday, June 3!

In this issue, our “Cool People, Cool House” feature tours a family of six’s home. In addition to finding creative ways to accommodate their kids needs in a small space, they find room for creating art, growing their own vegetables, and displaying the work of both parents (a photographer and an artist). The space is bright and cheery, with lots of color, life and love.

Inspired the vibrancy of their home, we threw a summery family style dinner, complete with stepped-up favorites like potato salad and homemade ice cream.

We also show you how to start your own raised bed gardens, complete with a DIY garden stake to mark all your crops!

Join us to celebrate summer, family style! Issue Ten goes live on Monday, June 3!

Just in case you are a lucky person who does not live in the southern half of the country, you’ll know it’s way beyond 100 degrees at this point in the year. Oklahoma’s weather keeps breaking records — 114 degrees last week!

So suffice it to say, we’re not going to be spending too much time outdoors for the rest of the summer, unless large bodies of water are involved.

Indoor camp outs are perfect for kids — or adults. If you think the heat might spoil that summer barbecue you’ve been planning, set up an indoor camping area like this and you have an instant party showpiece. Serve campout classics, such as S’mores with toasted marshmallows made over the gas stove burner, foil packet dinners made in the oven, and beverages served out of the thermos. Presto…campy fun (forgive the pun)!

Gardeners in Oklahoma, or most parts of the country for that matter, are throwing their hands up in despair during the blazing heatwave of August. Why not jump on the latest trend — terrariums? They are beautiful, self-contained and give you the feeling of having a green thumb while being fully air conditioned.

And finally, another necessary issue associated with these heat wave are mandatory burn bans — and we just learned why they are so important to follow this time of year, after horrendous wildfires ravaged Oklahoma this weekend.

That certainly changes your typical charcoal grilling plans, so we whipped up these steak tacos indoors one weekend night recently. They were just as yummy as the outdoor version.

Have a safe, air-conditioned heat wave!

Indoor Chipolte Steak and Avocado Tacos

2 pounds flank steak, or four thin strip steaks

1 onion, sliced

1 bell pepper, cut into strips

2 large avocados, ripe

Soft tortillas

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

Cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice), shredded

Salsa verde (I prefer Herdez brand)

Soft tortillas

Salt and pepper

Lime juice of 2 limes, plus zest of one lime

1. Combine chipolte peppers, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, salt and pepper in a large zip-top bag. Add steak to bag, and allow meat to marinate for at least two hours in the refrigerator, up to over night. The longer the better.

2. Drizzle sliced onions and peppers with 2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper on a sheet pan. Roast in a preheated 400-degree oven for about 12-15 minutes, tossing with a spatula halfway through, until browned and tender.

2. While veggies are cooking, prepare grill pan or cast iron skillet. Heat to high. If using flank steak, sear the meat for five to seven minutes on first side, then flip and sear for about five to seven on the second side until desired doneness — it depends on the thickness of the meat. If using four thin-cut strip steaks , cook for about five minutes on first side, and four or five minutes on second side.

3. When steaks are done, allow to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat the tortillas in an low oven (about 200 degrees) for about 10 minutes, or microwave in a damp paper towel for about 25 seconds.

4. Slice steak against the grain into strips, like fajitas. Assemble on warm tortillas with sliced avocado, roast onions and peppers, cheese and salsa.

Last weekend, amid a broken-air-conditioning meltdown, my husband cheered me up in a major way by bringing home these beauties — from the grocery store. I peeked at the price tag (come on, we all do it), and I was stunned.

Fifteen or so roses for $15! That’s the real beauty of grocery store blooms. When you find value like this, you go for it. That’s why I love a good floral bargain.

Besides the quality, this bouquet immediately stands out because the colors are really stunning: Burnt orange, bright yellow, red and fuchsia. The bouquet looks like a late-summer sunset.

And, after obsessing over the Olympics this weekend — officially crushing on gold medal-winning swimmer Ryan Lochte, btw — I noticed that the official Olympic bouquets are comprised of wildflowers and traditional English roses, in similar colors, yellow, orange and pink! Coincidence, I think not.

Even if you’re not a traditional roses kind of girl, you can take the colors of late summer and run with them.

As a natural transition from spring’s tangerines, turquoises and pale yellows — as we showcased in our Issue Six Celebrate the Style party — you can use the same color palette to transition into burnt orange, maize yellow and dark pinks.

Despite the rising heat in our portion of the prairie over the past week, I have been working hard on my yard. Both my front and back yards were blank slates when I moved in to my home just over a year ago. And since then, I’ve decided it’s time to get a few projects going. I definitely do not have a green thumb, but I’m starting to get the hang of this lawn maintenance stuff. Or at the least- I am trying!

After all the manual labor, and while I let my body rest and clean the dirt out from under my fingernails, I’ve been searching for some inspiration images for flower beds and landscape ideas. I thought I’d share some of my inspirations with you, and hopefully you gardeners out there can give me a few pointers!

How cool are these Eco-planters! I’d like to incorporate some green elements or use recycled items in my yard.

Welcome!

Meet the Hive

Prairie Hive takes a peek into real, un-"designed" homes in Oklahoma, along with the people who inhabit them. This team of local designers, photographers, crafters, stylists and writers takes inspiration from everyday families, striving to create entertaining and DIY ideas that are attainable and affordable, and to show you how to get the look for yourself.